


tighter

by bonkysalpine



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Character Death, M/M, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), i really don’t know what tags i should use i’m sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonkysalpine/pseuds/bonkysalpine
Summary: “Skrulls.” Bucky whispered.In that exact second Steve’s face started shifting and his skin quickly changed color, before he became a green creature, an alien.A Skrull.Bucky got up before Sam could move and pressed Fury to the wall, metal hand tight against his throat.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	tighter

It was almost two years after Steve left just to come back as his old self.  
The day started as usual: Bucky got up at 5AM, after being able to sleep just two hours and a half, his dreams haunted by cold blue eyes and fake red-stained smiles.  
He got his yoga mattress out and spread it on the wooden floor of his room, in the house he shared with Sam, and started his morning routine.

Deep breaths.

In.

One, two, three, four. 

Out.

One, two, three, four. 

Repeat.

When he felt like it was enough, he got up and went down the stairs, where Sam was making coffee in the kitchen, running clothes and earbuds on.  
The man greeted him with a nod, eyes still sleepy, and Bucky nodded in return, sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands.  
The day went on, he spent the morning working out and reading the new book Maria gave him, then cooked lunch (between Sam’s complaints) and went to check on his garden in the afternoon.  
It was late afternoon when the landline rang and both him and Sam were on the couch, busy trying to find out who was faster at completing the newspaper’s crossword.

(Bucky won three times in a row).

Sam got up, eyebrows furrowed and confused eyes. He answered and Bucky could immediately tell it was Fury, from the way his shoulders squared and his tone became colder and more soldier-like.  
He heard Sam reply shortly, with some ‘yes, sir’, ‘of course, sir’, ‘we’ll be right there, sir’. Bucky perked up at the last one and got up from the couch, stretching his arms out a little and petting Alpine quickly on the head while making his way to Sam.  
“What did he want?” he asked.  
“He wants to talk to us in person.” the other man replied, eyebrows still pinched together in worry.  
“What about?”  
“I have no idea.” Sam said before putting on his shoes and jacket and leave with Bucky right behind him.  
The drive to the city was thirty minutes long and it was spent in total silence, except from the soft music coming from the radio.  
When they arrived to Fury’s safehouse, they were greeted by Maria, who sent them a small smile and let them in, where they found the man standing in the middle of the room, next to someone.

Next to Steve.

“Steve?” Bucky asked, taken aback by the sight of the man he has been avoiding as best as he could fo two years.  
He pressed his lips into a thin line and looked away from the brunette.  
Bucky tried to ignore the hurt creeping up his chest and cleared his throat, moving his gaze to Fury, who has been silent for the whole time, arms crossed on his chest and feet planted on the floor.  
“Good evening. I think you might want to sit down for this.” he told the two men, who exchange a glance before doing what they had been told and taking their respective seats on the couch in front of Fury, Maria on the armchair next to them, with a clipboard on her lap.  
“So, as you know I had the pleasure to meet Captain Danvers in 1995.” he said, tone weirdly softer than usual, and the men nodded. “That year, Danvers wasn’t the only one I met.” he paused for a second. “That was my first mission in space and I made some great allies, who had been helping me to this day when things were rough.”  
The room fell silent for a moment and Bucky saw Steve shift uncomfortably.  
“Two years ago the Avengers faced their most difficult fight. We lost a lot. Too much.” he said, bitterness clear in his voice. “And after that we asked for help to our allies, the Skrulls.”  
Sam furrowed his eyebrows. “Weren’t the Skrulls shapeshifters?” he asked, and when everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows, he shrugged. “Carol told me once when we were sparring together.”  
“Yes, Wilson, the Skrulls are shapeshifters.” Fury agreed and the focus shifted back on him. “So, when Captain Rogers brought back the stones, something went wrong.” Bucky perked up and shifted, balancing himself on the edge of the seat, gaze moving from Fury and Steve, worriedly.  
“Apparently time travel wasn’t as perfect as we thought and Rogers got trapped in the Quantum Realm since then.”  
Both Sam and Bucky held their breaths and looked at Steve, confused.  
The confusion lasted a couple of seconds, though, because both of them got to the same conclusion immediately. 

“Skrulls.” Bucky whispered.  
In that exact second Steve’s face started shifting and his skin quickly changed color, before he became a green creature, an alien.

A Skrull.

Bucky got up before Sam could move and pressed Fury to the wall, metal hand tight against his throat.  
Sam was on his feet in a second and Maria drew her gun and pointed it at him, but Fury remained completely calm.  
“Agent Barnes.” he said, a little strained from where Bucky was pressing on his throat.  
He didn't let go.  
“Bucky.” Sam said carefully and this time he let go.  
He took a step back and tightened his fists at his sides.  
“How do we get him back?” Bucky whispered, his voice shaky.  
“We’re doing the best we can. Have been for two years now.” Maria answered, getting closer to him and extending a hand like she wanted to touch him, but changing her mind before doing so.  
“Why did you tell us just now?” Sam asked.  
“My people are in danger, I have to go back to my planet to help them.” the Skrull interrupted.  
Sam nodded, putting a hand on Bucky’s back and answering to what Fury said, while Bucky kept his head down, lost in his thoughts.

The day after the revelation they went to Bruce’s lab, the place Fury told them the researches were being done.  
“Good morning, guys.” Bruce, back in his human form, greeted them.  
“Hey, Bruce.” Sam replied with a smile, and Bucky nodded, still silent.  
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way and especially just now, but we have been working really hard for the past two years and I think we’re close to the solution.” he said, offering the men a hopeful smile.  
They talked for a bit and Bruce tried to explain them what they were trying to do and, as much as Bucky was interested and wanted to listen to everything the man was saying, he couldn’t bring himself to focus on anything that wasn’t Steve.  
He thought about how lost Steve could’ve been feeling in that moment, how he was probably trying to do something to get out of that absurd place.  
Bucky spent hours listening to Scott talking about the Quantum Realm and how lonely it was in there.  
He thought about all the times Steve probably felt alone in this century, without someone who could understand him, someone who could make him feel at home.  
He tried not to compare the feeling to what he felt when he was on the run, in Europe, but he failed. Because he knew exactly how Steve was feeling.  
They spent everyday of the next two months going to Bruce’s lab, trying to help with whatever they could, or just being there to see what was happening.

Lying to themselves they were doing something for Steve’s return.

After another four months, the lab was attacked.  
An Hydra-like organization, somehow, found out what happened to Steve and was trying to stop the researches, trying to stop them to bring him back.  
Bruce had told them a couple of days before he had almost cracked the code, he was about to bring Steve back for good.  
Bucky cried himself to sleep that night, Sam sat on the floor outside his room, listening until his breath became even and he fell asleep.  
So there they were, just outside the laboratory, fighting with skilled Hydra agents.  
Their weapons were advanced, even more than Bucky and Sam’s, making it harder than they thought to stop them.  
They tried to call back-up, but in the end it was just the two of them, protecting Bruce and their only chance to get Steve back.  
They ended fighting in the laboratory, Bruce frantically typing at his computer, pushing some buttons, pulling some levers.  
They were surrounded, Sam and Bucky fighting six guys and trying to give Bruce as much time as he needed.  
He used some weird features Shuri added to his arm and two of the enemies were out.  
Four more to go.  
“Hang on, guys! I think I’ve got it!” Bruce yelled from his spot.  
Bucky felt a rush of adrenaline passing through his body and he knew Sam was feeling the same. They started fighting back, harder, faster.  
The other four went down just as a bright white light flooded the lab.  
Bucky covered his face with his arm and felt tears prickle at his eyes, while Steve’s silhouette appeared through the portal.  
He smiled, so big he felt his cheeks hurt.

And then, a piercing pain in his stomach.

His smile fell and he looked down, an arrow had passed right through him, spreading a black liquid all over his open wound.  
He fell to his knees and felt strong arms taking him and lowering him down, still supporting his shoulders and head.  
The scream of a dying man behind him.  
“Steve.” he breathed out, staring into those eyes he dreamt about so many times, those freckles he drew when he was seven, that crooked nose he tried to heal with some leaves when it broke to hide it from their mothers.  
“Hey, Buck.” Steve replied, a sad smile on his face and tears running down his cheeks.  
He knew it, Bucky knew it was the end. He saw it in Steve’s eyes and in Sam’s not so silent sobs. 

In Bruce’s prayers. 

“You came back.” he said, because he needed to say it out loud to believe it.  
“I never left. I never chose to leave.” Steve said, forehead against Bucky’s.  
He tasted salty tears mixed with blood in his mouth.  
“I know.” he said, and then closed his eyes.  
He felt Steve tighten his grip and a sob escape his lips.

Then nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> uhmmm hello  
> english is not my first language so please excuse me if there are some errors and let me know if i should change anything please!  
> so i did this because my friend put in my head the idea of steve being a skrull in endgame and it all went downhill from there so blame them ✨  
> also i cried my eyes out writing the final scene  
> i hope you enjoyed it and if you want you can absolutely leave some comments because i’d really appreciate that!!


End file.
